#it was so funny when we met in that wawa parking lot so i could pick the birds up

[fisherfurbearer]

Why Enrichment Matters, and Why Improvement Never Ends

Animal enrichment is a never-ending process of learning and always, forever striving to improve.

I haven’t said much about the pair of button quail we adopted earlier this year, but they’re really something special. I’ve never owned birds before them, but I had done a lot of research into quail off and on and I’ve always obsessed over birds in general, but nothing else is like actually owning one in my own house. I’ve learned so much from just observing them and making small changes to their environment and care, and it has benefited them so much.

Wasabi (rooster) and Mushroom (hen) were hatched and reared by a local couple to us, along with several other roosters and hens that they hatched at the same time. Not realizing until later that button quail, especially roosters, are territorial and do best in pairs, they were looking to adopt out most of their quail to good homes, and we decided to adopt two of them.

Being hand-reared, they aren’t as horrifically skittish as I’ve heard other button quail to be (I’ve heard stories of some that are so nervous they bolt upwards to the point of hurting themselves if anyone so much as comes near their enclosure, and they remain Extremely Stressed after any enclosure maintenance!!) but they were NOT, and are not, handleable. Which was fine by me, I never expected them to be cuddly, but it was a little disheartening that they didn’t seem as relaxed as I wish they would be. Even after they calmed down and adjusted to being together (they were both housed separately before, but quickly bonded and have never had any issues) and being in a new environment, they would spend a lot of their time awake pacing and pecking at the walls, acting agitated even though they had room to move and plenty of food/water. I even gave them treats, which would calm them down for a short period of time, but soon after they would be back to pacing.

We have now had the pair for almost five months now, and so much has changed. I don’t think my initial care of them was ever BAD, per se...they’re still in the same enclosure they started in, with the same wood decor and they get the same treats...but all of the small changes I made over time have definitely made a difference.

After spending so much time watching their interactions and behaviors, I managed to test many different ideas and slowly alter and Improve their living environment and husbandry to what it is now.

This was their original set up right before I got them:

It’s not BAD, not at all! But it really wasn’t best for the birds. This was my first time owning any bird, let alone a ground-dwelling bird like button quail, so using my research and some assumptions I tried to come up with a set up that might make them feel more comfortable while also giving them space to perform natural behaviors. The substrate was a modified mix of my tarantula substrate (topsoil, coco coir, vermiculite, and sand) with extra soil for dust bathing. I used half-pint mason jars as food and water dishes, and (not shown here) mason jar lids for oyster shell and grit.

It was alright. There was some cover for them to duck under, and plenty of open space too, but I quickly realized it wasn’t nearly enough cover to make them feel Secure, and the semi-transparent sides may have been contributing to their pacing.

Over the weeks, I experimented...

I mixed up the wood placement, substrate choices (turns out 100% soil isn’t best, actually! They LOVE soil/sand for dust bathing, but it’s better as one specific corner, and pure RINSED sand is their favorite!), messed around with adding cover and changing foliage color/types, I tried growing live plants early on (that was a huge failure, by the way), experimented with different types of treats and forages (millets, roaches, and black soldier fly larvae are big favorites!!!), and learned a lot from watching their behaviors.

Over time, they grew bolder, and CALMER.

Here is their enclosure today, for reference:

It’s been a while since I last switched them over to their newest substrate (mostly soft paper bedding with a corner of play sand) and decor, and I haven’t noticed ANY pecking or pacing. Sometimes Mushy will pace the front of the enclosure and peer through the crack in the door, but she never pecks like she used to. They don’t even crow as much these days...they both have a wide variety of beeps, songs, and crows, but they only make a huge fuss if they’re low on water or food. In a way, they’ve trained me to keep all of their resources in tip-top condition and I’m convinced that soon they’ll figure out how to beg for treats, too!! Every time I open the door (to spot clean, replace water/food, remove eggs, etc.) I ALWAYS scatter healthy treats or leave a dish of insects for them, and it GREATLY reduces maintenance-associated stress. In the past week, she won’t even run from my hands!! (Well okay, today she ran, but I also had to remove her Secret Egg Stash and a lot of bedding from the sand so the movement set her off, but still, usually she’s good) Most of the time she waits for the doors to close before she dives for treats, but a couple times now she will wait for me to put it down in front of her, and will even eat with the door open and me sitting right there!! She’s still not perfect (again, today she was more antsy, but I don’t blame her) but she, and Bibi, come such a long way.

(Wasabi holding a One Singular bug for his wife to come take. He’s such a good husband and saves the best treats just for her. <3)

I attribute this to a mixture of changes, of course. It took a while to get this far and a LOT of adjustments, but it’s been worth it. I would say the greatest changes we made were...

- Keep general maintenance quick, calm, and Consistently reward door openings with treats. Scattered treats (ex. millet balls/individual seeds) are superior to entire millet sprays or dishes. ALWAYS remove birds from enclosure and place inside a dark, soft-sided box covered with a blanket for Safety during full cage cleans. GREATLY reduces stress associated with free-roaming.

- Multiple substrate types are better than one. Soft paper bedding or wood shavings are gentle on feet and aren’t super messy, and a corner of sand is greatly appreciated! They dust bathe several times a day and it seems to be a sort of ‘bonding’ time for them both. Rinsing sand vs. unrinsed soil is MUCH better for them as well, I learned that the hard way...everything was ridiculously dusty before and now we have had 0 dust problems!

(Pardon her bald butt, Bibi is NEVER aggressive with her, but he still manages to rub off her feathers when they court and she looks pretty weird. I’m not sure how to prevent this.)

- Cover!! And LOADS of it!! Even if you think it’s enough, it isn’t. Visual barriers are so important and they THRIVE when they have decor they can hide under/behind and run between. They’re tiny birds and can dive around it like it’s nothing, and even though the enclosure looks crowded, it’s actually set up so they have Maximized floor space. GREATLY improves their confidence and sense of security. Switching up foliage/decor types seems to be beneficial, but large-scale, frequent changes probably aren’t the best. They seem to prefer when some decor is kept the same (ex. large wood features) and others are changed.

- Designing multiple “zones” seems to offer them a much greater amount of choice and has made a huge difference to their behavior. Instead of an enclosure where everything is the same, they now have a corner just for dust bathing/sleeping, a middle section with shaded water, and food in the open, and a third section with a lot of cover to the sides and an open middle area where they can be out of sight. Shown above, it looks impervious, but that’s all quail-accessible space behind that wall of decor. I plan on setting up an avian UVB light (but arcadia only makes them in T8s so I have to figure that out before I get one...) to put over their dust bathing/open area to give them further choice and basking options, as well.

(Mushy’s secret egg stash!! I didn’t even know these were here until today, they’re so well hidden!! She never broods them, but it’s interesting to see that she’s started to lay them in the same place, she never did that before the changes.)

All in all, these little changes have added up, and I’m still improving as we go along. I have additional plans for building a larger enclosure for them one day (probably 48″x24″x12-18″) so they can have a third substrate option and even more room to run and roam...it shouldn’t be too expensive and I think they’d really enjoy it.

This turned into quite the ramble, but I hope it proves to someone out there that ENRICHMENT. MATTERS. And that just because your first run of something was ‘fine’ or even ‘good’ doesn’t mean it can’t be BETTER!! Learn from your mistakes, learn what you can improve, watch your animals and see what they do and how to encourage healthy, natural behaviors. Enrichment of all types isn’t just for our enjoyment, or because it looks pretty or cute. These changes have greatly influenced my birds’ behavior and comfort, and we will continue to learn and improve as time goes on.

It’s a never-ending process, and it’s a bit of work, but seeing them healthy, calm, and content is what all pet owners should strive for.

#birdblr #animal enrichment #avian enrichment #vivarium design #button quail #my pets #mushroom #wasabi #i have to send an update to the guy i adopted them from #to let him know theyre doing well #it was so funny when we met in that wawa parking lot so i could pick the birds up #i think we were both worried the other person was going to be a serial killer #or worse...some creepy old dude... #but nah it was a really rad trans guy and his girlfriend #and theyre my age and were all pretty short and just looked at each other like #'im so glad youre someone my age and also not a murderer' #and we talked for a while and they were very chill and passionate about birds #and i think theyd probably like to hear about how the quail are doing... #last time i showed them the enclosure they went out and got more stuff for their own quail #and made it all handsome and added lots of cover and branches and stuff for them #it made me so happy...they were so inspired by my own care that they improved their own birds c': #thats what its all about #thats why i ramble like this and want to keep animals all my life #it makes me so frickin happy

[winstonhcomedy]

“Dope A-F” - 4/23-4/24 - “Three Mics, A Dude, and Road Trip”

Boom let’s do it sweet sweet baybees and laydees! Let’s catch on up to the last few nights of shows. Tuesday was a trifecta of sweet delicious comedy, and last night was a sick road trip with some of the bois to headline one of my favorite rooms in the state. So let’s get to it. 

4/23

Tuesday was a chill day. I got off work and got some writing done. I was planning on doing Mojos and Fallout, but then someone mentioned Vagabond to me and I figured I could go do that mic first and then still get in another two sets. I can’t pass up the opportunity to perform that much so I go for it.

I look for parking near Vagabond downtown in Richmond. I finally find a spot after circling the blocks a few times and head inside. I was told they usually start right on time, but alas this was not the case. It was 7:40 and I was the only person there other than the bartender. He is a super nice dude, and we talk about the show. Another newer comic shows up and shoots the shit as well. I am pretty sure his name is Carlton. Super nice guy. Then Rebecca Hyman shows up and we get to talk for a bit. There is like no audience at all and we are all just sitting here. Moe shows up, and finally Rebecca just asks if we can start. So she gets it started.

There is just no one here. It is comics performing for comics. Which is always a super weird thing to have to do, but it will be the norm once I head to NYC. She does a few minutes and then brings me up. I use it to work on my super new stuff, and I just kind of riff for a bit and talk. I do about 7 or 8 minutes and I like where I go with it. I’d give this set a D. No real laughs, but still productive for wording. In middle of my set an audience member walked in and I got a few laughs which felt nice. I said my goodbyes and jetted over to Mojos.

I get to Mojos and a lot of my friends are there. I’m pumped to be going 2nd on the show so I can hit Fallout after. Kusterer, McFadden, Muñoz, Buhse, and others were all hanging out. McFadden talked Kusterer into bending over during his set and doing his jokes by making his ass talk. I unfortunately miss this, but it is on video and it is glorious. 

There is an ok crowd here, but there is no telling how they are going to be. They don’t give Buhse much love as he worked stuff out, and then Mike Engle goes up. He doesn’t hook them either, but he has some interesting new and a super funny line about being horny. I dug it a lot.

I go up and struggle for the first three minutes. It is just me being comfortable reciting these new jokes, and trying to figure out what to do with them. There is a table right in front of me of people not paying attention, so I make it my goal to get them on board with me. I closed really strong though. The last two things I worked out actually got a big laugh which rules. I’d give this set a C. I was super happy with that. To get off on a pretty big laugh at a mic where you were bombing definitely gives me a good feeling. I thanked Buhse and said goodbye, and then headed to the final show of the night at Fallout.

Kate Carroll was hosting Fallout and Had hit her up about a spot earlier in the day. I get to the show and there is about four or five comics left to go before me. I get to see Beau Troxclair one last time before he moves to the UK. It is definitely going to suck when he goes and I am really going to miss him, but I know it will not be the last time I see him. 

There is actually a pretty good sized crowd here. Definitely the best crowd energy of the night so far. Everybody is actually doing pretty well so I am excited to go up. I order some Taquitos and burn the ever living shit out of my lip. I get to watch my buddy Jesse Jarvis and Jesse Pearlstein do their sets. I then get to see two newer comics go up before I close it out. Some people;e leave before I get up but Kate gives me a super nice intro.

I go up and the crowd is still into the show which is dope. I go into my new stuff that I worked on tonight and have a really good set for 10 minutes. Everything is working and it is all newer. I still need to sit down and tighten it up but this was a fun set. I’d give it a B. A great way to end the night. So I head to my car and drive home. I’ve got a crazy long Wednesday to get through. 

4/24

This was a super long day. I got to go on a cool field trip to a baseball game with my students. It is crazy hot and I got sunburnt. I was so exhausted by the end of the day. Then I had to leave work 30 minutes early to get to my dental checkup. I hate the dentist, but I do love how clean my teeth feel. After my gums and jaw got worked over for 40 minutes I head to WaWa to get some snacks for the road trip.

I am headlining Blacksburg Comedy Club at Top of the Stairs! It is one of my favorite rooms in the entire state. I’ve had super fun sets every single time I have been there. I got to bring my openers this time and I asked Paige and Alex if they would ride up with me and do some time. 

Tots is run by Robbie Hockett. He is a super good dude and he always treats the comics right and fair. The only problem is this is a hell of a drive. It is about 3 hours from Richmond and it has a 9:30 start time. It is also always in the middle of the week so it is brutal having to come back to get to work the next day.

I met Alex as the park and ride close to my house. He hops in and we rock out eating snacks and listening to crunchy tunes all the way to Waynesboro where we pick up Paige. Then it is another two hours in the car trying to get psyched up for the show. We are all nervous nellie’s and we always want to do our best.

We get to Blacksburg at around 8:45 after circling the parking lot for 10 minutes and there is no one in the audience yet, but that is ok. Robbie tells us that it will be a shorter show because the other two local openers called out. Which is the best possible news because sometimes the Tots show can run too damn long. So I give Alex and Paige 5 extra minutes and I figure I’ll do about 30. 

We chill and I have some family come to the show. My cousin and his family come out and it means a lot because I don’t get to see them nearly as much as I wish. I used to see them all the time when I was at school at VT. 

People start to come in including a lot of newer comics. Apparently there is a standup comedy club on campus, and they’re going to start working with Robbie and trying to do shows. They’ve actually got 3 mics a month up there now which doesn’t sound like much but that is which is huge. 

As the crowd fills out I meet the one local guy doing time. His name is Ben House. I actually know his sister through comedy. She does Improv in Chicago but I met her in Newport News before she moved. So super small world. I set up my video camera and we get the show on the road. 

The crowd is intimate but into the show which is dope. Robbie has a pretty good hosting set, and Ben gets some good laughs which always bodes well for the rest of the show. Alex had brought some hs friends out and he was up next.

Alex goes up and has a really strong 17 minute set. His jokes are working, and he had like one lull but the rest was nonstop laughs. He was killing and it was super fun to watch and see. The only thing that was weird is his next to last joke killed so hard, that his closer didn’t murder. It was an odd thing, but it didn’t screw up his set at all it just seemed weird.

After him was Paige and he went up and didn’t get the best intro. So he had to dig himself out of a hole immediately and he didn’t really choose material that is conducive to that. He was getting laughs, but I think a lot of what he was doing was a little edgier than the audience wanted. He didn’t do poorly by any means I could just tell he wasn’t happy with it. The audience just gave him weird energy, and it affected him. Still a good set, but he’s a critical dude so I knew he was going to hate it. 

Then it was my turn. I go up and opened with crowd work to get them on my side and I had a very fun and hot set. I was killing pretty hard for the most part. Some crowd work got lulls, but it always led back to big laughs which is what you want. My material worked really well, and I got some good video of some bits. At the 30 minute mark I asked them if I could do super new stuff, and so I did for the last 15 minutes. I got to do a killer 45 minute headlining set, and I felt so good about it. I know I have a long way to go, but sets like this make me feel like I have a shot of doing it. I”d give it an A-.

After the set we talk to some of the audience. Alex catches up with his friends and I got to give my family a hug. Robbie paid us, and we just shot the shit for about 30 minutes to unwind. I really wish I had off the next day. I can’t wait to come back to Tots when I am full-time (lofty dream) and just be able to party and hang after!

We get in my car and start the journey back. We rock out some more and have some good conversation about the show, and comedy in general. We drop Paige off and I high tail it get Alex to his car. After he is dropped off I head home and pass out knowing I am about to get 2 hours of sleep before heading back to work and it was totally worth it!

THAT IS IT. Caught up again. This is a good week so far and I want to keep it going. I love you laydees so much! Never forget that! xoxoxo til next time

#comedy #jokes #standup #blacksburg #vt #funny #road work #crowd work #rva #Richmond